Russia demands $2.5 decillion fine from Google over YouTube ban
The fine is more than the entire GDP of every country combined on Earth.
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In a bizzare move, Russia slapped over $2.5 decillion fine on Google for banning Russian TV on YouTube.
It’s asking around 2 undecillion rubles worth of fines from Google. These fines are for banning the pro-Kremlin media outlets on YouTube.
Google’s parent company Alphabet’s net worth is around $2.09 trillion, making the fine trillion of three times the company’s current net worth.
Absurdly enough, the fine is more than the entire GDP of every country combined on Earth.
Russia wants Google to pay a fine that’s more than Earth’s entire GDP
Google faces a staggering fine in Russia, surpassing all its previous global penalties.
Though it has accumulated around $14 billion in fines worldwide over the past decade, its outstanding dues in Russia now amount to an incomprehensible 2 undecillion rubles (roughly $2.5 decillion USD).
This unprecedented fine isn’t for antitrust issues or privacy violations but stems from Google’s refusal to reinstate the YouTube accounts of Russian state-backed media, including Tsargrad TV and RIA FAN.
YouTube blocked these channels in 2020 due to U.S. sanctions on their owners, and Google has since defied Russian court orders to restore them.
As reported by The Moscow Times, the Moscow court’s penalty started at 100,000 rubles (around $1,027) per day, doubling each week for non-compliance, resulting in today’s astronomical figure.
The situation escalated further following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with YouTube blocking seventeen additional Russian media outlets like RT, Russia 24, NTV, and Sputnik, among many more, triggering more lawsuits.
Despite Google’s parent company, Alphabet, having a $2 trillion market cap, this fine is beyond conceivable payment.
Google’s Russian subsidiary declared bankruptcy in 2022, and the company is now pursuing legal action in U.S. and U.K. courts to block Russian entities from suing it abroad.
Thus, it’s highly unlikely Google will ever pay this fine, but we’ll see what happens.
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